From today’s Des Moines Register:
One of the Texas men received 44 cents an hour as a “gut puller” at the turkey plant. The plant kept his disability check and deducted $487 for room and board in the deplorable “bunkhouse” and an additional $572 for “kind care.”
There is plenty of blame to go around, but let’s start with:
1. The City of Atalissa, the landlord of the now condemned building, for collecting $600 a month rent and never inspecting the condition of the building it owns.
2. The federal and state governments (Texas and Iowa) who were obligated to provide care and issued these men disability checks, but then never discharged their duty to ensure they were receiving the care they needed.
3. Obviously, and nominees for worst people ever, the owners and managers of Henry’s Turkey Service and Hill Country Farms for condemning countless mentally retarded men to a life tantamount to slavery.
But, in the end, we all share a little blame for this. We live our lives and find it far too easy to look the other way and not ask too many questions when we suspect something is amiss or someone less fortunate may be being treated poorly. We cling to an excuse that we live busy lives and have little time or ability to make a difference.
I am not calling to start a crusade, or to upend the way government carries out its mission, yet. I think we all need to be a little more vigilant and not wait for the newspaper, a watchdog group, or somebody else to raise the red flag. When we suspect something is wrong, like many people must have in this case, it is up to us to stand up and demand justice.
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